Trebellianus (d. 260–268) was a

Roman usurper Roman usurpers were individuals or groups of individuals who obtained or tried to obtain power by force and without legitimate legal authority. Usurpation was endemic during the Roman imperial era, especially from the crisis of the third centu ...

listed among the

thirty tyrants The Thirty Tyrants (, ''hoi triákonta týrannoi'') were an oligarchy that briefly ruled Classical Athens, Athens from 404 BC, 404 BCE to 403 BC, 403 BCE. Installed into power by the Sparta, Spartans after the Athenian surrender in the Peloponnesian ...

in the ''

Historia Augusta The ''Historia Augusta'' (English: ''Augustan History'') is a late Roman collection of biographies, written in Latin, of the Roman emperors, their junior colleagues, Caesar (title), designated heirs and Roman usurper, usurpers from 117 to 284. S ...

''. Modern historians consider this figure a character invented by the author of ''Historia'', whose traditional name was Trebellius Pollio.

Description

According to ''Historia'', Trebellianus was a

Cilicia Cilicia () is a geographical region in southern Anatolia, extending inland from the northeastern coasts of the Mediterranean Sea. Cilicia has a population ranging over six million, concentrated mostly at the Cilician plain (). The region inclu ...

n robber, who called his castle in the fastnesses of the

Isauria Isauria ( or ; ), in ancient geography, is a rugged, isolated district in the interior of Asia Minor, of very different extent at different periods, but generally covering what is now the district of Bozkır and its surroundings in the Konya P ...

n mountains the Palatium (as the imperial palace on the

Palatine A palatine or palatinus (Latin; : ''palatini''; cf. derivative spellings below) is a high-level official attached to imperial or royal courts in Europe since Roman Empire, Roman times.

, in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

), established a mint, and gave himself the title of

emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

. But having been tempted to quit his stronghold and descend into the plain, he was there encountered and slain by Causisoleus, an

Egyptian ''Egyptian'' describes something of, from, or related to Egypt. Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to: Nations and ethnic groups * Egyptians, a national group in North Africa ** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of year ...

, one of the generals of

Gallienus Publius Licinius Egnatius Gallienus (; – September 268) was Roman emperor with his father Valerian from 253 to 260 and alone from 260 to 268. He ruled during the Crisis of the Third Century that nearly caused the collapse of the empire. He ...

(''dux Gallieni''), brother of Aurelius Theodotus who had defeated

Mussius Aemilianus Lucius Mussius Aemilianus ''signo'' Aegippius (died 261 or 262) was a Roman Empire, Roman who held a number of military and civilian positions during the middle of the third century. He is best known as a Roman usurper during the reign of Gallien ...

. Trebellianus is also cited by Eutropius (''Breviarium'', ix.8). The passage is considered a later interpolation, or an error for "

Regalianus P. C. Regalianus (died 260/261), known in English as Regalian, was Roman usurper for a few months in 260 and/or 261, during the Crisis of the Third Century, a period of intense political instability in the Roman Empire. Regalian was acclaimed emp ...

" — and in fact several editions of Eutropius amend the text with Regalianus. In the latter case, it is possible that this passage gave inspiration to the author of ''Historia'' for its Trebellianus.

References

Sources

* Article originally taken from the public domain ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'', edited by William Smith.
Körner, Christian "Fictitious usurpers: Trebellianus, Celsus and Saturninus", s.v. "Usurpers under Gallienus" ''De Imperatoribus Romanis''

External links

*{{usurped,

} 260s deaths Thirty Tyrants (Roman) Year of birth unknown

Description

See also

References

Sources

External links